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Monday, 1 June 2009

June is here already – where did
the school year go? This is the final issue of the I Can Newsletter for this year. We hope
that you have enjoyed them and found
them useful. Summer is a time for getting outside,
spending time with friends, meeting new people and going to camp! These are all
great opportunities for communication.

Vocabulary suggestions for sharing information about the summer holidays:

My vacation was cool!

What did you do all Summer?

Check out my journal.

Can I tell you more?

I went to camp. It was so
fun!

Please find my camp display.

My favourite thing was
learning to kayak.

My cousin and I went to the
beach. Want to see my photos?

Wanna know what I did all
summer?

Look what I made!

It was the best summer ever!

Tell me what you did.

Words for Camp!

Before heading off to camp, remember to pack your child’s personal
communication board(s). Your child will be meeting new people, making new
friends and will have many opportunities to practice their social communication
skills. This is a perfect time to check that your child has access to a core
vocabulary that can be used across all situations. See the February 2009
Newsletter: “I Can … Find the Words” for more information about developing and
using a core vocabulary.

As there will be some novel situations at camp, your child may also need
some topic specific camp vocabulary. Give your child some practise using
the new vocabulary to help him/her use it functionally. Help your camp
counselor by providing a copy of your child’s communication board before camp
starts, so that camp staff can get familiar with the board.

Not going to camp this summer? Take advantage of opportunities for
vocabulary development with help from your child’s friends. Peers can help by
providing age appropriate suggestions for vocabulary to add to a board. This
works best when your child is involved in selecting the words and choosing
where they should go on the display.

So many new and exciting events can happen over the summer. It is a
great opportunity to help your child do some writing. This could include a
journal or diary, writing a story, a letter to a relative or pen pal, writing
poetry after being inspired by nature and the outdoors or messaging on the
computer. Your child can do this via a variety of modes, e.g. on the computer,
using their communication device or display that has been customized with
appropriate vocabulary for the summer.

No-Tech Ideas

Create communication displays
for times when it’s not possible to use a high tech device (e.g. on the
beach or around the pool). Laminated symbols can be attached to Styrofoam
trays or pool noodles for use by / in the water.

Collect “remnants” that show what you have been doing during
the summer months to add to your picture-based communication display.
These could include movie stubs, menus from a hotel where you stayed, a
flyer from an attraction. Add some conversation strategies to your pages
to make your remnant book interactive “Guess what I did this summer”, “Do
you want to know more?”.

Light Tech Ideas

Talk to your child’s camp counselor ahead of time to find out
about camp activities. Make overlays that will allow your child to take an
active part in them, e.g. picking a campfire song or being the leader for
a scavenger hunt.

High Tech Ideas

During the summer, you can
make some communication pages on your device to tell about your
vacation. On many devices you can
add photographs to the buttons or to make visual scenes. Check device manufacturers’ websites or
ask your ACS clinicians for assistance.

Lights,
Camera, Action!

August 24 -
28, 2009

Join us at Setting the Stage or
On With the Show, theatre camps for aspiring actors who use a speech-generating
device. Act alongside the Original Kids and invite your family & friends to
the final performance.

Location:
Spriet Family Theatre at Covent Garden Market, London.

For more
details on this and other Opportunities to Participate check the brochure at: www.tvcc.on.ca

Did you know…

Easter Seals operates residential camps
with specially trained staff, which offer safe but exciting, fully accessible
programs. Easter Seals also offers the Recreational Choices Funding
Program that allows families the opportunity to choose a summer
recreational program that best suits their child.

About Me

Gill Steckle is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)and Kelli Vessoyan is an Occupational Therapist (OT). They both work at Thames Valley Children's Centre (TVCC) in the Augmentative Communication Service (ACS) in London, ON Canada. Kristel Pallant was an OT in ACS who also made significant contributions to the development and evolution of the newsletter.